Diorama of Indonesia's founding fathers preparing the proclamation at the National Museum, Indonesia. Photo from website The Conversation - thaleaa/shutterstock.
13-07-2025
Adrian Perkasa writes in The Conversation about Indonesia’s plan to rewrite its official national history was initially met with positive responses, particularly for its goal of better serving the younger generation. But the project to reshape the country’s mainstream historical narrative soon ignited widespread controversy for overlooking underrepresented groups and reinforcing authoritarian tendencies.
Given the failures and controversies surrounding Indonesia’s earlier attempt to produce an official national history, the current revision project demands critical re-evaluation and, if necessary, a complete halt. Merely involving more historians to boost representation is not an adequate solution either. The core issue lies not in revising history, but in advancing Indonesian historiography.